Growth investment firm Verdane has acquired a majority stake in coffee roasting software company Cropster to accelerate industry innovation and growth.
The partnership is said to “build on Cropster’s successful development and long-standing customer relationships, further expand the company’s software offering, accelerate growth, and consolidate Cropster’s global market-leading position as the operating system for the coffee industry”.
As a B Corp-certified company and software developer of ESG features for the coffee industry, Cropster helps companies reduce their environmental impact. Its software is said to improve efficiency across all stages of the value chain, including increased efficiency in raw material use, and reduction in waste and CO2 emissions.
“For example, the Cropster software uses artificial intelligence during the roasting process to significantly reduce the amount of over-roasted bean waste,” the software company said.
The software is also said to help market participants navigate emerging regulatory environments, such as the EU’s forthcoming deforestation regulation, and assist them in managing the administrative hurdles.
Verdane said it will support Cropster on its growth path, which includes both merger, acquisition, and organic growth.
“Cropster identifies growth opportunities in the rising presence of specialty coffee in conventional coffee markets like the US and Europe, along with the trend of tea-drinking countries across Asia gradually substituting tea with coffee,” the companies said.
Verdane’s partnership with Cropster is its 11th investment in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) in the last 12 months and its fourth transaction in Austria, signalling the strong growth potential for businesses in the region.
Ralph Karg, Director at Verdane, says: “We look forward to working with the team, contributing our in-house functional specialists, ecosystem, and expertise to build on Cropster’s achievements evidenced by its sustainable market-leading position, and to jointly write the next chapter of this remarkable growth story.”
Andreas Idl, CEO and Co-Founder of Cropster, says the team are happy to have found a new partner that shares values and who will join them as they take Cropster to the next level.
“We are confident of their expertise in software and their ability to work in international markets, as demonstrated by their excellent buy-and-build track record. Also, they fell in love with coffee really quickly,” he says.
To learn more about the partnership, visit cropster.com or verdane.com.
